Ilhan Omar Gets Hit with Trump Insults & Vinegar While Nicki Minaj Turns Mega MAGA | Gov. Mikie Sherrill

Summary

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The Daily Show: Ears Edition

Episode: Ilhan Omar Gets Hit with Trump Insults & Vinegar While Nicki Minaj Turns Mega MAGA | Gov. Mikie Sherrill
Date: January 29, 2026
Host: Desi Lydic (with appearances by Whitney Cummings and Governor Mikie Sherrill)

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Episode Overview

This episode tackles a tumultuous week in American politics with Desi Lydic at the helm. The news team covers a swirl of stories: chaos and in-fighting in the Trump administration after Minnesota unrest, Trump’s escalating attacks on Rep. Ilhan Omar culminating in an in-person attack at her town hall, Nicki Minaj bizarrely supporting Trump’s “Trump Account” baby IRA plan, and a deep-dive with New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill, who offers pragmatic Democratic advice and insights as a newly elected governor. The tone is acerbic, satirical, and brisk, mixing hard news with signature Daily Show comedy and sharp guest commentary.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Chaos in the Trump Administration & Minnesota Fallout

• Blame Game: After unrest in Minnesota, a blame-spiral erupts within Trump’s circle—Trump, Kristi Noem, and Stephen Miller all pointing fingers ([01:49]).
  • Desi Lydic: “It’s like a Mexican standoff for people who hate Mexicans.” ([02:08])
• Media Satire: The segment mocks CNN’s downward spiral from high-tech graphics (Will.I.Am holograms) to low-rent flowcharts, with Lydic zinging Wolf Blitzer for “selling his nudes online” ([02:40]).

2. Trump’s Repeated Attacks on Rep. Ilhan Omar

• Mockery of the Constitution: Trump lampoons Omar for “knowing the Constitution,” with Lydic skewering this as an own-goal:
  • Desi Lydic: “The President of the United States is roasting people for knowing the Constitution… like the president of Nike roasting Michael Jordan for liking basketball.” ([04:30])
• Verbal to Physical Threats: The danger escalates after Trump’s relentless rhetoric; a man attacks Omar at her own town hall with a syringe of apple cider vinegar ([05:17]).
  • Desi Lydic: “Dude, are you trying to pickle her?” ([05:39])
  • Memorable Moment: Omar’s fearless response: “She gets sprayed and she goes after the guy immediately.” ([05:57])
• Trump’s Conspiracy Theory: Trump baselessly suggests Omar staged her own attack ([06:35]):
  • Desi Lydic: “Yeah, she was probably like, ‘I forgot to wear perfume. I know! I’ll have Crazy Jeff spray me mid-speech.’” ([06:49])

3. “Trump Accounts” for Babies and Nicki Minaj’s MAGA Cameo

• The Announcement: Trump introduces “Trump Accounts”—$1,000 federal investment for every baby, available at 18 ([08:48]).
  • Desi Lydic: “I didn’t expect this from Donald Trump. Mostly the part where he says you can’t touch something until it turns 18.” ([09:04])
• Nicki Minaj Appearance: Trump lauds Nicki Minaj as “the greatest and most successful female rapper in history,” and jokes about growing out his nails ([07:59]).
  • Desi Lydic: “…one slip and Trump’s hand is going to start leaking like a busted waterbed. It’s like a chainsaw holding hands with a Ziploc bag of chili.” ([08:20])
• Satirical Ad: The show runs a mock “Trump Account Challenge” ad, lampooning Trump’s America as a hazardous place for children (“if you can live long enough to turn 18… and what else? Oh, yeah, guns.”) ([09:32])

4. “In My Opinion” – Whitney Cummings on Democratic Candidates

• Imperfect Candidates: Cummings lampoons the 2028 Democratic presidential field—no one’s perfect, but “the alternative could be pretty terrible. Like we could have President Squidward.” ([11:30])
• Cory Booker as “the Sketchers of candidates”: Unexciting but gets the job done. Jokes about his veganism and “130 letters” supporting Elizabeth Holmes ([13:03], [13:48]).
  • Whitney: “It’s hard to imagine a vegan president. Comes off a little weak. You don’t want our president in the Situation Room: ‘Hey, before we attack, are these muffins made with coconut butter?’” ([13:03])
• J.B. Pritzker and Josh Shapiro: Pokes fun at gubernatorial cosplay/Halloween outfits and the unpresidential awkwardness of the name “Josh” ([14:20], [15:15])
• Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez: Jokes about her acronym, and her youth when elected ([15:48], [16:26]).
• The Point: Stop seeking a dream candidate; get real before you end up with “Mr. Alt-Right. So maybe we all just stop approaching politicians like we’re looking for a soulmate and approach them like we’re on Grindr. You know you’re going to get hard, but you still want to be able to walk home.” ([18:22])

5. Interview: Governor Mikie Sherrill

On Becoming Governor

• Executive Action & Accountability: Sherrill praises gubernatorial power to enact change versus congressional gridlock ([21:38], [23:44]).
  • Sherrill: “In Congress, there’s 434 other people. …That’s what I love about [being governor]. I can chart that course.” ([22:53])
• Day-One Action: Signed orders to freeze utility rate hikes in response to skyrocketing costs ([23:44]).
  • Sherrill: “I’m not messing around. I’m not doing a 10-year study. I’m not writing a strongly worded letter.” ([25:18])
• Federal vs. State Power: Addresses the need for states to defend citizens given federal attacks—from ICE raids to frozen infrastructure funds ([26:58], [29:49]).
  • Sherrill: “We are not going to allow any ICE raids to be staged from state properties. …If you see an ICE agent in the street, get your phone out.” ([28:45])
• Rigidity of Federal Government: Frustrates over New Jersey sending $70 billion more to DC than received back, yet seeing federal funding stripped ([30:52]).
  • Sherrill: “If we are going to send that much money to the federal government and they’re not going to actually do their job, then what are we paying for?” ([31:31])
• Expansion of State Power: Predicts a rise in state-led governance as federal leadership becomes erratic ([32:34]):
  • Sherrill: “We haven’t been at a time… where the federal government actually is acting to attack states. …We’re going to see a large expansion of state power because the states are the rational actors.” ([32:34])

On Campaign Strategy and Youth Outreach

• Winning Big: Landslide win by 14.4 points, every district moved left, regained key demographics ([32:43], [32:50]).
  • Sherrill: “Listen. That’s where you start every campaign—listening to as many voters as possible… You gotta talk to everybody.” ([33:21])
• Teenage Outreach: Overcame stereotype that young men are turning right; cited real engagement from teens in her race ([34:08]).
• Motherhood Joke: “Doesn’t matter how accomplished you are as a mom, you’re never cool to your kids.” ([35:10])

Rapid-Fire New Jersey Quiz

• Soprano or Snooki?: Chooses Tony Soprano ([35:58])
• Wawa or diners?: Diners—“because of disco fries” ([36:24])

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Trump’s Deflection After Minnesota Unrest
  • “So you have Trump, Noem and Miller all pointing fingers at each other. It’s like a Mexican standoff for people who hate Mexicans.”
    — Desi Lydic, [02:08]
• On Trump Attacking Ilhan Omar
  • “The President of the United States is roasting people for knowing the Constitution. This is like the President of Nike being like, ‘Oh, I’m Michael Jordan. I like playing basketball in shoes. What a loser.’”
    — Desi Lydic, [04:30]
• On the Apple Cider Vinegar Attack
  • “Dude, are you trying to pickle her? …Your skin’s gonna glow and you’ll never get a cold.”
    — Desi Lydic, [05:39]
  • “[Omar] gets sprayed and she goes after the guy immediately. …If that happened to me I’d be terrified. But Omar was like, ‘This is dry clean only, bitch.’”
    — Desi Lydic, [06:10]
• On Trump Speculating Omar Staged the Incident
  • “Oh, yeah, yeah, totally. She was probably like, ‘Ugh, I forgot to wear perfume. I know. I’ll have Crazy Jeff spray me mid-speech.’”
    — Desi Lydic, [06:49]
• On Trump’s “Trump Accounts” Plan
  • “I didn’t expect this from Donald Trump. Mostly the part where he says you can’t touch something until it turns 18.”
    — Desi Lydic, [09:04]
• Whitney Cummings on Cory Booker
  • “Your aunt probably loves him, right? But he does have a big problem. If Cory Booker became president, America would have its first vegan president.”
    — Whitney Cummings, [12:49]
  • “It’s hard to imagine a vegan president… You don’t want our president in the Situation Room: ‘Hey, before we attack, are these muffins made with coconut butter?’”
    — Whitney Cummings, [13:03]
• Whitney Cummings’ Takeaway on Voting
  • “So maybe we all just stop approaching politicians like we’re looking for a soulmate and approach them like we’re on Grindr. You know you’re going to get hard, but you still want to be able to walk home.”
    — Whitney Cummings, [18:23]
• Gov. Mikie Sherrill on Leadership
  • “That’s what I love about [being governor]. I love the idea that it rests with me, that I can chart that course and that I can figure out a path forward for New Jersey.”
    — Governor Mikie Sherrill, [22:53]
  • “I’m not messing around. I’m not doing like a 10 year study. I’m not writing a strongly worded letter.”
    — Governor Mikie Sherrill, [25:18]
• On Fighting ICE Overreach
  • “We are not going to allow any ICE raids to be staged from state properties. And we are also going to be standing up a portal so people can upload all their cell phone videos.”
    — Governor Mikie Sherrill, [28:45]
• On States Taking Charge
  • “This is a time when I think we’re going to see a large expansion of state power because the states are the rational actors in this space, taking care of people, funding good programs…”
    — Governor Mikie Sherrill, [32:34]

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• [01:11] – Desi Lydic kicks off headlines: Trump admin chaos, Ilhan Omar attacks, Nicki Minaj/Trump event
• [04:13] – Trump at Minnesota rally mocks Ilhan Omar, ridicules knowledge of Constitution
• [05:17] – Recap of town hall attack on Omar (vinegar incident)
• [06:35] – Trump speculates Omar staged her own attack
• [07:59] – Trump event with Nicki Minaj, “Trump Accounts” announcement
• [09:32] – Satirical “Trump Account Challenge” ad
• [10:56] – Whitney Cummings' “In My Opinion”: Democratic 2028 candidate rundown
• [21:13] – Interview with Governor Mikie Sherrill
  • [23:44] – Sherrill acts on utility rate hikes
  • [26:58] – On ICE raids and federal/state tensions
  • [29:49] – Gateway Tunnel project battle with federal government
  • [33:21] – Sherrill’s strategy advice for Democrats
• [35:51] – New Jersey rapid-fire quiz with Sherrill

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Summary

This episode of The Daily Show: Ears Edition delivered a potent blend of satire and substance, wryly dissecting the disarray inside Trump world, the dangers of his rhetoric toward lawmakers like Ilhan Omar, and the strangeness of Nicki Minaj now appearing as a Trump campaign trope. Whitney Cummings lampooned Democrats’ endless candidate dissatisfaction, urging realism over fantasy. The interview with Governor Mikie Sherrill offered both practical insights on blue-state governance in the MAGA era and a pep talk for Democratic turnout and engagement. The team grounded their laughs with a reality check: in an era of governmental dysfunction, accountability and proactive state leadership matter more than ever.

Listeners were left with both smart political critique and rapid-fire New Jersey pride—“because of disco fries”—reminding everyone that the fight against cynicism and for effective leadership is, as always, ongoing.

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Transcript

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

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[Announcer]

You're listening to Comedy Central. From the most trusted journalists at Comedy Central. It's America's only source for news. This is the Daily show with your host, Desi Lin.

[Desi Lydic]

Hello. Welcome to the Daily Show. I'm Desi Lydic.

We've got so much to talk about tonight. Ilhan Omar will cut a bitch. Kristi Noem should probably pick out a just got fired outfit. And Nicki Minaj helps Donald Trump announce investment accounts for babies. Which is real news and not just a Mad Libs I did. So let's get into the headlines. The Trump administration is still scrambling to cover their asses after the unrest in Minnesota. And that won't be easy. Some of them have a lot of ass to cover. But this administration is ready to step up and take accountability.

[Correspondent/Reporter]

This morning, the blame game inside the Trump administration. You have the president of the United States blaming Kristi Noemi.

[Desi Lydic]

Noem is saying that she was just.

[Announcer]

Repeating what the White House told her.

[Governor Mikie Sherrill]

To say, that this was the narrative that stealing had come up with Stephen.

[Correspondent/Reporter]

Miller attempting to shift scrutiny to Border Patrol agents.

[Desi Lydic]

So you have Trump, Noem and Miller all pointing fingers at each other. It's like a Mexican standoff for people who hate Mexicans. But things are clearly getting extremely ugly inside the Trump administration. And bear in mind, it started extremely ugly, but, you know, par for the course. It all makes sense. No further explanation needed.

[Correspondent/Reporter]

I just want to hold up a flowchart friend of my understanding of the blame game here.

[Desi Lydic]

I don't want to say CNN is struggling financially, but this is the channel that used to talk to holograms of Will. I am. And now they're just scribbling things on a napkin. Oh, that's why Wolf Blitzer has been selling his nudes online.

Yes.

So the Republicans are in disarray. Trump is doing exactly what you would expect him to be doing while his cabinet is falling apart. Redirecting our attention to an election that happened two years ago.

[Donald Trump (impression or quoted)]

We did so great in the election with Hispanic voters. We did so great with black men. We did so great with white. Everything.

[Desi Lydic]

White everything. All the whites. Jeremy Allen, whites, Betty whites, Walter whites, Snow whites, white chicks. That's a two for because it's black men dressed as white. But wait, hold on. I'm white and I didn't vote for Trump, so does that mean I'm black?

Yes.

Look who just got invited to the cookout. I'll bring my famous craisins potato salad. What's that? I was uninvited. Just good to be in the conversation. And if you thought that Trump would use this rally as an opportunity to lower the temperature in Minnesota, well, you are stupid.

[Donald Trump (impression or quoted)]

They have to show that they can love our country. They have to be proud. Not like Ilhan Omar. Did you see what? Did you see that wise guy? You know, she's always talking about. The Constitution provides me with the following.

[Desi Lydic]

Okay, I will say if Trump was gonna do an impression of an African woman, it could have gone a lot worse than that. So let's, let's just be grateful. This is such a weird thing for him to make fun of. The President of the United States is roasting people for knowing the Constitution. This is like the President of Nike being like, oh, I'm Michael Jordan. I like playing basketball in shoes. What a loser. It's not surpr that Trump was mocking Congresswoman Omar. He's been viciously attacking her for months, calling her garbage, saying that she and other Somali Americans should go back to where they came from. And last night in Minnesota, after Trump's rally, someone took his verbal attacks to the next level.

[Correspondent/Reporter]

Overnight, a chaotic scene at a Minnesota town hall. A man charging Congresswoman Ilhan Omar moments after she took the podium using a syringe, police say, to spray her with what witnesses describe as an unknown strong smelling liquid.

[Governor Mikie Sherrill]

New reporting that it was apple cider vinegar.

[Desi Lydic]

Apple cider vinegar?

[Governor Mikie Sherrill]

What the.

[Desi Lydic]

Dude, are you trying to pickle her? I'll show you. Your skin's gonna glow and you'll never get a cold. So weird. More importantly, can we just go back to the footage and watch how boss Omar's reaction is?

Look at this, look at this. She gets prayed and she goes after the gu immediately.

Dude, if that happened to me, I would be terrified. But Omar was like, this is dry clean only, bitch. Yes, yes. Now let's be clear. We don't know why exactly this man squirted Ilhan Omar, and we would not be a trustworthy reliable source if we just speculated wildly. Anyway, here's Donald Trump speculating wildly, speaking.

[Governor Mikie Sherrill]

To ABC News he suggested, without evidence that the attack was somehow staged, saying, quote, I think she's a fraud. I really don't think about that. She probably had herself sprayed, knowing her.

[Desi Lydic]

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, totally. She was probably like, ugh, I forgot to wear perfume. I know. I'll have Crazy Jeff spray me mid speech. Now, you might be wondering how the president could react to an act of political violence this way, but it's pretty simple. Here, let me just explain. Here we go. Okay. See? Dumb thing trumps brain, trumps mouth. I take it back. These things are great. So Trump didn't spend much time thinking about Congresswoman Omar because he had something much bigger going on. Today, he held an event to promote his new Trump accounts, featuring a lineup of guests that includes Mr. Wonderful from Shark Tank, Cheryl Hines from Curb youb Enthusiasm, Michael Dell from the computer you buy when you can't afford a Mac, and Ted Cruz from youm Nightmares. And then there was one truly special guest.

[Donald Trump (impression or quoted)]

There's a certain person that's here who's the greatest and most successful female rapper in history, Nikki Minaj. And I said, I am going to let my nails grow because I love those nails. I'm going to let those nails grow.

[Desi Lydic]

Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, Mr. President, don't let those nails get near your delicate hand. Seriously, look at this. One slip and Trump's hand is going to start leaking like a busted waterbed. It's like a chainsaw holding hands with a Ziploc bag of chili. Things could get real messy real quick. Now, honestly, these accounts aren't the worst idea that either Trump or Nikki has endorsed. Basically, it's like an IRA for babies.

[Governor Mikie Sherrill]

Trump accounts will give $1,000 in federal money to every baby born between January 1, 2025 and the end of 2028. The money will be invested until the child can access it when they turn 18.

[Whitney Cummings]

Wow.

[Desi Lydic]

I didn't expect this from Donald Trump. Mostly the part where he says you can't touch something until it turns 18. This is actually a rare, objectively okay Trump policy. And if helping children so generously seems off brand for the Trump administration, don't worry. This new ad promoting the accounts makes the big, bigger picture much more clear.

[Announcer]

Introducing a new Trump policy to give you $1,000 when you turn 18. If you can make it that far. From the twisted mind of Donald Trump comes the Trump account challenge. You'll get $1,000 if you can live long enough to turn 18. In Donald Trump's America, you'll have to survive. No vaccinations environmental disasters, and so many microplastics. And what else? Oh, yeah, guns.

[Desi Lydic]

Bing, bing, bing, bing.

[Announcer]

They're everywhere. School, the airport, the Cheesecake Factory. Only America's strongest will make it to 18 and take home the grand prize of $1,000. And if you don't want to participate, too bad. Bitch should have thought of that before being born. The Trump Account Challenge. Let the funds begin.

[Desi Lydic]

When we come back, Whitney Cummings will give us her opinions. Welcome back to the Daily Show.

We all know I've got great opinions. But I'm not the only one. Studies show that other people also have opinions. So here with another installment of In My Opinion is our good friend, Whitney Cummings.

[Whitney Cummings]

Thank you, Desi. I love you. I am here to talk to you tonight as a liberal. That might be comes as a surprise to some of you. Some people think I'm right wing just because I look and sound exactly like Kimberly Guilfoyle. But I am a liberal, okay? How do you not remember this? I had blue hair for like a year. And that was mostly to try to get my dead dad's attention. But I still couldn't go near a bookstore without people asking me to help them find Lena Dunham's biography. But I just want to give you a little heads up that in 2028, we're going to have some candidates for president. And they're not going to be perfect. They're gonna make some mistakes. They're gonna make mistakes in speeches, they're gonna make mistakes on social media. I've never done that before, but I've heard it can get pretty bad. Look, we gotta look past some of these things. Cause the alternative could be pretty terrible. Like we could have President Squidward. Please give these Democratic candidates a shot. I'm warning you, there's a lot of them. So many people I don't recognize. I feel like I'm watching the Grammys. There's so many candidates. I bet you didn't even notice that we added some guy from the Just for Men box. None of them are the dream candidate, okay? They're all gonna have issues that you're gonna have to deal with. Like Cory Booker. I know he's not very exciting, but he gets the job done. He's like the Sketchers of candidates. Your aunt probably loves him, right? But he does have a big problem.

[Governor Mikie Sherrill]

If Cory Booker became president, America would have its first vegan president.

[Announcer]

I love making a good fruit shake. You know, throwing a bunch of different fruits in a blender. Banana. I would love to show you a great Vegan meal?

[Whitney Cummings]

No, thanks. It's hard to imagine a vegan president. I agree. Comes off a little weak. You don't want our president in the Situation Room. Like, hey, before we attack, are these muffins made with coconut butter? You know what, though? It is not precedented. You know what? It's not unprecedented. Bill Clinton turned vegan after he was president and Joe Biden was an actual vegetable. And think about all the good things that Cory does. He supports women. Frankly, maybe even too much.

[Desi Lydic]

130 sympathetic letters of support for former.

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

Billionaire and convicted felon Elizabeth Holmes from.

[Governor Mikie Sherrill]

Friends, family, investors, and even New Jersey Senator Cory Booker.

[Whitney Cummings]

Booker wrote that Holmes quote, has within.

[Governor Mikie Sherrill]

Her a sincere desire to help others.

[Whitney Cummings]

To be of meaningful service, and possesses the capacity to redeem herself. I know, I know. I'm sorry. Liberals do this thing where we believe all women, even the one who made an easy bake oven that told people they had hiv. But then again, none of these people are gonna be perfect. Like this guy. Illinois Governor J.B. pritzker. You might not recognize him unless you've maybe run into him at a spirit Halloween.

[Correspondent/Reporter]

Governor J.B. pritzker and the first lady celebrated Halloween dressed as Shrek. And Fiona, Governor JB Pritzker dressed up as a convincing Professor Dumbledore, lightsaber in.

[Governor Mikie Sherrill]

Hand, got into the Star wars spirit.

[Correspondent/Reporter]

For the unofficial May 4th holiday.

[Announcer]

May the 4th be with you.

[Whitney Cummings]

Okay, we cannot let Vladimir Putin see any of this footage. None of these candidates are perfect. Stop holding out for another Obama. The best we can do is Josh Shapiro, who clearly is trying to sound like him.

[Announcer]

Now, let me tell you something. He's pretty afraid. Y' all see he's backing out of the debate. Now, it's not just because she's a skilled debater. It's not just cause she's got the right positions on the issues that matter most to the good people of Pennsylvania and this country. It's because he can't run away from his record any longer.

[Whitney Cummings]

And you guys were worried about AI plagiarizing. This is a real liberal conundrum, isn't it? We get mad for white women when they say spirit animal, but we're fine with this guy doing vocal blackface like we gotta. But if you can look past that, I will look past my own personal problem with him that I just can't really picture us having a president named Josh. You know, when I think Josh, I think like guy with three jugs of protein powder who lectures you on a flower about how monogamy's not Natural. But we can get through this. We can get through the name. Josh, our vice president is named JD like if Josh is the guy at the frat who's pledging, JD Is the senior who's branding fi sing on Josh's nuts. But there's no perfect names here. There's aoc. I mean, she doesn't even have a name. She doesn't even have a name. You know, but people love her. But it does rub some people the wrong way that she goes by a three letter acronym. You know, like she's in the company of luminaries like mlk, FDR, and dmx. But focus on the good things. Focus on the fact that she was elected at 29 years old. At 29.

[Desi Lydic]

I mean.

[Whitney Cummings]

Think about what you were doing at 29. At 29, I elected to get a nose ring.

[Governor Mikie Sherrill]

Right?

[Whitney Cummings]

Did it change the world? No, but it did keep a lot of stable, responsible men from dating me. And they went on to do great things because of it. But of course, the candidate that we really need America to settle for right now is the likely Democratic frontrunner, Gavin Newsom. You might be surprised that he's running for president because based on how he's traveling, he already seems to think he has the job.

[Correspondent/Reporter]

Gavin Newsom, the California governor dashed off to New Hampshire and Nevada Governor Newsom.

[Whitney Cummings]

Key toured some small towns in South Carolina.

[Governor Mikie Sherrill]

California Governor Gavin Newsom took the fight to Texas this weekend, furnishing his foreign policy credentials in Davos.

[Correspondent/Reporter]

Jetting down to Brazil. California's governor Gavin Newsom, guess where he was. He went to China and sat down with the president, Xi Jinping.

[Whitney Cummings]

To be fair, the only reason he was sitting down with Xi Jinping was to try and book him for his podcast. I can't wait for him to tell Xi Jinping that, hey, America won't back down. Also, ask him, do you mind just looking into the camera and say, sponsored by bluechew. But look, Gavin also. He does. Liberals unite both sides. Liberal likes him because he's mean to Trump, and conservatives like him because he let Los Angeles burn down. And that means something, okay? And what I guess I'm trying to say, America, is that we're not a young country anymore, okay? Look at our bridges. They're sagging, Our lakes, they're drying up. We're drying up, okay?

[Desi Lydic]

We.

[Whitney Cummings]

We can't just pick apart every candidate and think that everything's gonna magically work out. This is the real world, not Nancy Pelosi stock portfolio. No one candidate is going to check all the boxes for us. And if you keep holding out for Mr. Wright, we're going to end up with Mr. Alt.

[Governor Mikie Sherrill]

Right?

[Whitney Cummings]

So maybe we all just stop approaching politicians like we're looking for a soulmate and approach them like we're on Grindr. You know you're going to get hard, but you still want to be able to walk home. But hey, that's just my opinion.

[Desi Lydic]

Whitney Cummings, everyone. When we come back, Governor Mikey Cheryl will be joining me on the show.

[Correspondent/Reporter]

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[Governor Mikie Sherrill]

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[Desi Lydic]

Welcome back to the Daily Show.

My guest tonight recently became the first woman veteran to be elected governor. Please welcome New Jersey Governor Mikey Sherril.

Say hello. Oh my goodness.

First of all, I just want to say thank you so much for braving the congestion pricing to get here. It really means a lot to us.

[Governor Mikie Sherrill]

Thank you.

[Desi Lydic]

Yeah.

It is so wonderful to have you here. Congratulations.

Thank you. Huge win.

Landslide win. You have such an impressive resume. Former Navy helicopter pilot, federal prosecutor, served in Congress. First woman veteran ever to be elected governor. You've been on the job for eight days now, but you. You served in Congress for eight years. How are you adjusting to the. The freedom of actually being able to get shit done?

[Governor Mikie Sherrill]

Quite well.

[Desi Lydic]

Quite well.

[Governor Mikie Sherrill]

I'm loving it. Yeah, it is lovely. I don't have to work with the Freedom Caucus.

[Desi Lydic]

Hey.

[Governor Mikie Sherrill]

So that's a benefit, and you can actually chart out a plan and execute it.

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

Who knew?

[Desi Lydic]

Right.

[Governor Mikie Sherrill]

Which is really a joy. Really a joy. Great.

[Desi Lydic]

Was that part of the inspiration for wanting to run for governor? Just the fact that it. It is. So Congress is so gridlocked sometimes.

[Governor Mikie Sherrill]

Congress is so gridlocked usually. Sometimes. And now. So gridlocked all the time. Right.

[Correspondent/Reporter]

Yeah.

[Governor Mikie Sherrill]

It is really a difficult place, which I think, you know, the people that are there now working so hard to just hold the line until we can take back power in November, which I'm very excited about. I'm so impressed with them, but you're exactly right. I probably should stop saying this, but when I told people I wanted to run for governor of New Jersey, their first inclination was, please don't, because we do in Congress. Well. And because they said, look, why would you do that? The buck stops there. You're so accountable. You know, you can sort of. In Congress, there's, you know, 434 other people. And I said, that's what I love about it. I love the idea that it rests with me, that I can chart that course and that I can figure out a path forward for New Jersey. So that's what drew me to it, actually. And it. Yeah. My first eight days.

[Desi Lydic]

So far, so good. Hey.

You ran very strongly on affordability for the people of New Jersey, and you wasted no time. Day one, signed two executive orders addressing utility rate hikes. Is that right?

[Governor Mikie Sherrill]

That's right.

[Desi Lydic]

Why focus on utility costs? And how does something like that work? Walk us through that.

[Governor Mikie Sherrill]

Sure. So I was speaking to thousands of New Jerseyans during my campaign, and the number one issue, not surprisingly, was affordability. And it was key in several areas. And one of those areas that just seemed like there was no relief. Relief was in utility costs, electricity costs, and speaking to a couple like Herb and Mary, who are on a fixed income, and their utility bills had doubled. I was hearing that across the state, it's not just an impact on homeowners or renters. It's an impact on small businesses who have small margins and are just trying to make it so. It was really an issue that was impacting people across the state. It was getting worse and worse, and there was no relief in sight. So I said, look, I'm. I'M going to stop dumping this on the back of the ratepayer. We, we know the utility companies have made billions over the last several years. We know that our grid operator has really not done a good job getting power to the grid. We know the state hasn't acted in the way to expand power generation, drive costs down. And yet all of these problems just kept getting dumped on the ratepayers. So I said, you know, I'm freezing, I'm freezing that I'm going to freeze rate hike. And I told people, I'm not messing around. I'm not doing like a 10 year study. I'm not writing a strongly worded letter.

[Desi Lydic]

And I just thank God.

Thank you.

Would you please tell Chuck Schumer, Chuck Schumer needs to hear that.

[Governor Mikie Sherrill]

Yeah, I was sick after Congress of strongly worded letters. Exactly. So I kept hearing people, though, that were like, yeah, Mikey, everybody says they're gonna do X, Y or Z. So it finally got to the point where I'm like, all right, you guys are driving me crazy.

[Desi Lydic]

Yes.

[Governor Mikie Sherrill]

I mean, that's a common feeling in New Jersey. But I said, okay, you know, I'll show you. So I didn't even wait till my inaugural address was over. In the middle of it all, I said, all right, guys, you know, sick of the status quo. Me too. Here it is. And then we signed the executive orders.

[Desi Lydic]

Right in the middle of your inauguration speech. Didn't even wait until it was just got it, got it done. Don't you. I mean, why work so hard right out of the gates? Don't you want to just lower expectations in the beginning? Just over, you know, you can over perform later? No, that's very, very impressive, and I think it definitely sends a strong message. You know, I want to ask you about the fact that it feels like right now our federal government is failing us in so many ways, and people are turning to the. The states to protect them. We have what's happening in Minnesota right now, the horrific events that have happened there. We have DHS sending memos saying that ICE can come into people's homes without a warrant. I imagine you're steadying yourself to have to face the administration. How do you prepare for something like that to protect the people of New Jersey?

[Governor Mikie Sherrill]

So I served all over the world in the Navy, and I've seen what secret police forces look like or the fear certain populations live under. And I'll say I knew where this was headed when we started to see DHS people taking loyalty oaths to the President, not the Constitution. We saw people in the street with masks and no insignia. So not accountable at all. Hiding from the population. And we saw again and again an undermining of what law enforcement should do to keep people safe. And so I saw where this was going. But to come to the point where someone like Renee Good, a mother of three who drops her six year old off in her Honda Pilot and that gets shot and killed, to see someone like Alex Preddy, who was an ICU nurse at the va, I saw his official photo and I've seen a million of those, you know, with the flag in the background. I know those guys. And I saw it again. When you watch the video and you see him standing up to protect those women from tear gas and he gets taken to the ground, sat on basically by three agents, and then shot point blank, execution style by not one evidently, but two different ICE officers thought that they could shoot him in the street like that. That is unacceptable. And so you're exactly right. I've already met with ag we are putting out information on helping New Jerseyans know their rights. We are not going to allow any ICE raids to be staged from state properties. And we are also going to be standing up a portal so people can upload all their cell phone videos and alert people, like, if you see an ICE agent in the street, get your phone out.

[Desi Lydic]

Yes, we want to know, because they.

[Governor Mikie Sherrill]

Have not been forthcomin. We will pick people up. They will not tell us who they are. They will not tell us if they're here legally. They won't check. They'll pick up American citizens. They picked up a five year old child. We want documentation and we are going to make sure we get it. Great.

[Desi Lydic]

You're in another showdown with the federal government right now. You are passionate about this infrastructure project, the Gateway Tunnel project, right?

[Governor Mikie Sherrill]

That sounds so funny, but yes. She's so.

[Desi Lydic]

Guys, she's so hot for tunnels. Super hot for tunnels. This. Governor, federal funds were allocated for this project and then President Trump came in and froze those funds. Is that correct?

[Governor Mikie Sherrill]

That is correct. I would say illegally, yes. Seeing as how Congress has denoted those funds through the Gateway Tunnel project, yes.

[Desi Lydic]

So as governor, what can you do about that now? Can you unfreeze those funds?

[Governor Mikie Sherrill]

Well, that's exactly what I'm working to do. So I have a call in to Trump. I haven't heard back from him yet to flag for him that this is about 100,000 jobs in the region. And by the way, his numbers aren't looking so good in that area that this could be about $40 billion of economic impact to one of the most important regions economically in the world, certainly in the nation. And this could have such a just good impact on infrastructure, on actually effectively running government, which doesn't seem to be something he's that concerned about. But I do think he should listen to me. I think he should listen to me because I just won back all his voters. Yes.

[Desi Lydic]

So I think.

Exactly.

[Governor Mikie Sherrill]

I think the conversation would be a good one.

[Desi Lydic]

Is it, is it true that New Jersey gives, did you say, 70 billion in federal funds to the, in state and state backs to the government?

[Governor Mikie Sherrill]

What? We send $70 billion more to the federal government than we receive back.

[Desi Lydic]

Than you receive back?

[Governor Mikie Sherrill]

Than we receive back. So the fact that now the federal government's attempting to cut the Gateway Tunnel project, that they are cutting health care funding, that they are cutting education funding, that they are doing these made up investigations to try to hold off more funding in different areas of the state. It's just at this point we're looking at ways to claw back as much funding as possible. Because if, if we are going to send that much money to the federal government and they're not going to actually do their job, then what are we paying for?

[Desi Lydic]

Right.

[Governor Mikie Sherrill]

Exactly.

[Desi Lydic]

Exactly.

[Announcer]

Well.

[Governor Mikie Sherrill]

I think it's a fair question.

[Desi Lydic]

That's what I was going to ask.

Can you withhold the New Jersey taxpayer dollars and not pay the federal government? I mean, it's a two way street, right?

[Governor Mikie Sherrill]

We, you know, it's very hard to do. We have been looking at every way and most of that's clawback. It's in the courts. You know, that's how we're going to fight. Should the president not kind of see reason, you know, how we'll be fighting this? Likely. But at the end of the day, I'm also, I think we are in a time where we have to rethink some of how this has operated. We haven't been at a time in my lifetime where the federal government actually is acting to attack states. That is unusual to say the least. And so I think we need to start looking at expanding. This is a time when I think we're going to see a large expansion of state power because the states are the rational actors in this space, taking care of people, funding good programs and the more effective that we can run our states. And we've seen some really effective leadership in many of our governors. That I think is where we will see good results for the country.

[Desi Lydic]

Oh God, I hope so. I have to just acknowledge and congratulate you on your Win. You won by 14 points.

[Governor Mikie Sherrill]

14.4. But, you know, I don't think everyone's.

[Desi Lydic]

No, we're not sure. We're counting. Who's counting? Ray, who's counting?

One by 14 points. You moved every district to the left. You clawed back all the demographics that Democrats lost last time. Your election is looked at as kind of a bellwether for the midterms, potentially giving Democrats a lot of hope. If you had any advice to the Democratic Party for the upcoming midterms, what would you tell. What would you tell them?

[Governor Mikie Sherrill]

Listen, you know, that's where you start every good campaign and is listening to as many voters as possible. And I think over time, you know, people in politics have gotten real cute about, you know, doing all this modeling over who are voters or who aren't. You gotta talk to everybody. I was at an event, and there was, you know, we had heard all these stories, and I have four kids, two teenage boys, and we'd been hearing all these stories about how Trump is making so many inroads into teenage boys. And I told my son, I said, you gotta watch it. It's all over social media. People are after you guys, and you have to be smart. And my youngest said, don't worry, Mom. I'm a lib. And I'm like.

[Whitney Cummings]

Good.

[Governor Mikie Sherrill]

So I was at this event, hundreds and hundreds of people there, and I'm talking to the event, and out of the corner of my eye, there's this group of teenage boys, and they're, like, taking all these selfies, and they're going like this. And I'm thinking, are these guys trolling me? Is this, like, what's going on here? You know? And sure enough, I said to the event organizer, I said, you know, who are these young men? And she said, oh, my gosh, they love you. They have knocked thousands of doors. And I. That's my reaction, right? Like, oh, my gosh. And that's what we wanted.

[Desi Lydic]

I mean.

[Governor Mikie Sherrill]

I mean, we were trying to get to everybody because that's bringing everyone together around this vision for the future and the people that we most need to engage our kids.

[Desi Lydic]

That's right.

[Governor Mikie Sherrill]

And that's where I think that's when I felt like, wow, we are really creating something special here. I still haven't gotten my own teenage sons to come to these events one.

[Desi Lydic]

Day, but we'll know. It's amazing how it doesn't matter how accomplished and impressed you are as a mom, you're never cool to your kids. There's nothing you can do to be cool.

[Governor Mikie Sherrill]

That is correct. That is correct. I have a 13 year old daughter. And that keeps you humble? It does.

[Desi Lydic]

Oh, God, love our children.

Good lord. Before I let you go, before I.

Let you go, I just wanted. I want to play a quick game with you if you're willing. It's a New Jersey game, rapid fire. I'm gonna ask you some questions and you have to choose one. I'm gonna name two New Jersey things and you have to pick which one. Uh, oh, ok. Ok. These are hard hitting questions.

All right?

No softballs for you, governor. All right, what's more New Jersey, Tony Soprano or Snooki?

[Correspondent/Reporter]

Oof.

[Governor Mikie Sherrill]

So Sopranos was filmed in my congress, my old congressional district. So I'll say Tony Soprano.

[Desi Lydic]

Oh, yeah, Tony Soprano. Okay, great answer. What's more, New Jersey hating New Yorkers or hating Pennsylvanians?

[Governor Mikie Sherrill]

Hating New Yorkers.

[Desi Lydic]

Hating New Yorkers.

Oh, oh.

Ok. What's more New Jersey Wawa or diners?

[Governor Mikie Sherrill]

Oh. Oh, geez.

[Desi Lydic]

Oh, no.

[Governor Mikie Sherrill]

Oh, my God. All right, I'm gonna say diners cause of disco fries. So we're gonna have to go with diners.

[Desi Lydic]

Okay, I can get on board with that. What's more, New Jersey going oh or going gamma? And you have to do both.

Both. Oh, there it is. Come on. Yeah, okay.

Okay. But which one is your favorite? I'm gonna get her to say it again. Which one's your favorite?

Come on. Yeah. Come on, Come on, come on, Come on. Governor, it was so wonderful to have you here.

Congratulations on everything. Oh.

Governor Mikey Sherrill. We're gonna take a quick break, but we'll be right back.

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[Desi Lydic]

That's our show for tonight. Now here it is, your moment of Zen.

[Governor Mikie Sherrill]

So it's unknown what that substance is, but apparently she is okay tonight.

[Correspondent/Reporter]

Craig well, we're glad about that. Let's not overdo it there. Ilan Omar. She's a survivor. It looked to me like Silly String, which we used to play with back in the day.

[Announcer]

Explore more shows from the Daily show podcast universe by searching the Daily Show. Wherever you get your podcasts, watch the Daily show weeknights at 1110 Central on Comedy Central and stream full episodes anytime on Paramount.

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Plus.

[Announcer]

This has been a Comedy Central podcast.